Designed for packaging designers, technologists, engineers, sales and marketing people the biennial Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) National Conference is the largest packaging and processing conference of its kind in Australia and New Zealand.
Run by industry for industry the AIP National Conference has been leading the way in professional and personal development for decades and is a part of the annual Packaging & Processing Week.
In 2018 some 25 Member Countries from the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) also headed to Australia to speak and participate in the week. The AIP was also hosting the prestigious international WorldStar Packaging Awards, and the 2018 PIDA Awards as the gala dinner for the conference with around 500 people from 30 countries in attendance. The second day was kick-started with a Women in Industry Breakfast Forum for 160 people, with five international editors from the International Packaging Press Organisation (IPPO) also speaking during the two days.
In total over the four-day event there were 900 people from over 30 countries; making it a truly international, educational packaging event.
Keynote speakers included: Nigel Garrard, managing director, Orora; Karl Deily, president, Food Care, Sealed Air; Brianna Casey, chief executive officer, Foodbank Australia; Steven Chapman, managing director, Shine; and Jacqui Wilson-Smith, McCormick & Co.
The International Packaging Press Organisation (IPPO) also contributed to the conference by sending
out editors and journalists from around the world who cover packaging from various perspectives to speak at the conference. The peer-reviewed journalists included: Pat Reynolds, Packaging World (US); Steven Pacitti, Plastics in Packaging (UK); Des King, The Write Stuff (UK); and Andrew Manly, Active & Intelligent Packaging Association (UK).
MAY 2 EVENING: 2018 PIDA Awards + 2018 Worldstar Packaging Awards
The 2018 AIP National Conference dinner was unlike any other as the AIP hosted the 2018 PIDA and WorldStar Packaging Awards as the gala dinner for the evening, with 500 people from the packaging world in attendance.
MAY 3 MORNING: Women in Industry Breakfast
Executive coach and author Belinda Brosnan delivered the keynote session on personal leadership, followed by a panel discussion featuring influential and inspiring women working in the food, beverage and packaging industry.
The panel explored why diversity matters in the workplace, best practice approaches to building inclusive teams, obstacles to be overcome to increase gender balance in line management roles, and how diversity can enable growth and value creation. The event was an insightful forum demonstrating how women in our industry navigate their roles and responsibilities and make a positive contribution to the workplace.
MAY 3: Fundamentals in Packaging Technology Interactive Residential Training
The AIP ran an exclusive once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity to meet one of the US-based trainers, from the Fundamentals of Packaging Technology Course that is now available on-line throughout Australasia through the AIP.
The FPT course is designed as bite-sized modules and is set up for the convenience of busy working professionals, and the training platform is functionally intuitive. Jane Chase, CEO of the IoPP in the US, presented three of the most popular modules during the day to help the attendees better understand the FPT course and available units and lessons.
The session included: FPT03-1 Paper and Paperboard Materials, FPT03-03 Corrugated Fibreboard and FPT07-01 Bottle Design Criteria. There will be no other time the ANZ industry will be offered residency-training for this course.
Sponsors for the week included: APPMA, Auspack, Qenos, ZipForm Packaging, Currie Group and HP, PMMI Media Group, tna solutions, UPM Raflatac, Aldus-Tronics, Auspouch, Bonson-Savpac, Caps and Closures, Esko, Fuji Xerox, Destination Gold Coast, Gunn Lab, Inspection Systems, JL Lennard, KHS, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Labthink, Multivac, Mosca, OFS Omniverse Foster, Piqet, ProPak Asia, Sealed Air, Taghleef Industries, and Woolcool.
It was a conference which will not soon be forgotten by any attendees, who had the chance to rub shoulders with some of the best, most innova-tive minds in packaging.
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